Fibrogenesis: Mechanisms, Dynamics and Clinical Implications

Abstract

Fibrosis is the pathological condition resulting in the growth of excess fibrous connective tissue in an organ or body system as a reparative or reactive process. In the field of clinical pathology, clinicians and medical scientists are endeavoring to translate experimental knowledge into effective, innovative treatments for a range of fibrotic conditions. The amelioration of whole organ function is at the forefront of research involving new treatment modalities. The augmentation of cardiac function following myocardial infarction is one area of research currentlyundergoing rapid growth internationally, but pulmonary and hepatic functions are both affected by fibrosis in numerous disease states, and chronic allograft fibrosis is an increasingly recognized problem in organ transplantation; novel treatments are thus undergoing development with ever increasing urgency. An attempt will be made to explore the dynamics of fibrosis in a range of disease states not classically recognized as having a common etiology.